A suckling pig generally means an unweaned piglet weighing 3.5-9kg. As the animal may have only been four weeks old at slaughter, the meat is incredibly tender. A truly authentic dish celebrating this Sunday's Chinese New Year would use Chinese suckling pigs, expensively fed on solids to reduce the moisture content and get the crispiest skin. But this English pig lived on a cheaper diet of milk and liquids. The piglet's leg bones are first removed before the meat is dunked in boiling water and salted. A light marinade of Chinese red vinegar, maltose and rice wine is painted on to the skin and the meat is covered in a paste of hoi sin, garlic, dried tangerine peel, brown bean sauce and red bean curd. After roasting for an hour, it is left to rest overnight. Finally, the roasting chef turns the piglet over an open fire for around 20 minutes, basting it with vegetable oil and bursting the air bubbles that form under the skin to achieve a perfect crackling.

Jellyfish

Executive chef Harry Yeung has an advantage when it comes to understanding jellyfish as his uncle is a jellyfish dealer in Hong Kong. The fact that this can constitute a profession in Asia reflects the popularity of the gastronomically unlikely cnidarians. Those headed for the table have their tentacles cut off; it is their upper dome, dried and preserved in salt, which is used in cooking. These jellyfish arrive at the restaurant in stacks of parchment paper, doused in rock salt, and are rolled up like a fajita before strips are cut off, like noodles. Edible jellyfish species are popular in the east because they have practically no fat and are high in protein - they are also associated with easing bone and muscle pain. While they have little natural taste, aside from any added seasoning, they are texturally important to this dish as their chewiness contrasts with the crispiness of the pork.

Garlic

Garlic translates roughly as "spear leek", which handily illustrates the fact that the plant belongs to the same family as leeks (also onions and chives) and has spear-shaped leaves. Ironically, the pungent smell that attracts us to garlic is part of the plant's defence system. The garlic bulbs are the plant's way of storing energy beneath the soil, away from predators' eyes. If the bulbs are discovered, the cells are broken down when the creature bites into the garlic and the sulphurbased compound allicin is released, with luck repelling the would-be assailant. This is why it is important to crush garlic completely when cooking, as the more you crush, the more allicin is released.

Rice wine

The Yang Sing uses a brand of rice wine called Kin Kiu Pau, bought from the southern Guangdong province of China. Because of the volume of rice wine used in Chinese cookery, executive chef Harry Yeung brings back sealed 20-litre containers of the 16%-proof alcohol. The secret to the taste of rice wine is koji - a black dust-like mould that is added to washed and steamed rice grains along with the yeast. This mixture is allowed to ferment for around a month before it is pressed, filtered and blended with pure water. As with the role of flor in the development of sherry, the koji imparts a slightly bitter taste to the wine, which explains why it is often suggested that the two are interchangeable.

Try this at home

For jellyfish, maltose and Chinese red vinegar, search the aisles of a Chinese supermarket, or buy online at www.wingyipstore.co.uk Briefly boil the jellyfish, then rinse under cold water for at least an hour, leave to dry and season with salt and a dressing of sesame seed oil and light soy sauce. Buy an entire suckling pig or use the plain porchetta joint from www.formanandfield.com and marinate and roast as directed. Serve with hoi sin sauce and rice.